Ankara’s ambiguous attitude

This morning, we tracked a Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76MD (reg. RA-78750) flying from Latakia, Syria, to Moscow. So far, nothing unusual, but what stands out is the route the aircraft followed. The Russian cargo plane, in fact, crossed Turkish airspace on its way to Moscow.

Although Turkey is a NATO member, it is currently the only country in the Alliance that allows Russian aircraft, including military ones, to use its airspace. However, until now, it was prohibited for aircraft heading to or coming from Syria (because Turkey also has interests in the area and did not want to make things easier for Moscow).

Now, however, this appears to have changed, as this is at least the second case we have tracked. It is yet another example of Ankara’s ambiguous behavior.